Writing Moeen Ali's book was a pleasure and discovery, says Mihir Bose

Journalist and author Mihir Bose on collaborating with England all-rounder Moeen Ali for his autobiography in which he claimed that he was called Osama by an Australian cricketer in 2015

I generally do not like writing ghosted books. I have written more than 30 books but only two ghosted books, one a labour of love as it was the story of the chairman of my beloved football club, Tottenham Hotspur.

But writing Moeen Ali's book was both a pleasure and a discovery of a world which is fascinating. I had interviewed Moeen some years earlier at an Asian awards ceremony where he was being honoured. I was struck by the way Moeen spoke about how much he missed his father not being there. He was so emotional that the compere, another Asian, got the impression that Moeen's father was dead. In fact what Moeen meant to say was that he could not come down from Birmingham, where Moeen and he live, to London. During the writing of this book I was to discover that his father Munir hates coming to London. He gets lost and finds parking difficult.

Mihir Bose

Just a humanitarian gesture
Soon after I interviewed Moeen. It was just after the end of the 2014 season when he had made his Test debut. He had, very controversially, worn wrist bands saying "Free Palestine" and "Save Gaza". The ICC had reprimanded him but he explained to me that it was a humanitarian gesture and not remotely political. It was while this controversy was going on that he had proved a match winner against India at Southampton in the 2014 series. In one of the one-day matches against India an Indian crowd had booed him and I was struck by the calm, measured manner in which he, born in England of Pakistani origin, had handled it.

During the writing of this book he told me that his fellow English players had asked him whether they should say something to the umpires and get the trouble makers kicked out. He had said no. He then went on to say their behaviour may have been due to drink when people didn't know what they were doing or saying and had joked that, "That is the reason why we Muslims don't drink."

This book came about when in 2017 Allen and Unwin, who had published my first ever book, a biography of Keith Miller, in 1980 approached me to talk to Moeen and see whether he would do a book. Moeen was now front page news having in the final Test of the 2017 season against South Africa becoming the first bowler ever to take a hat-trick in a Test match at the Oval. Having so long been only of interest to the ethnic media the mainstream media could not get enough of Moeen and his beard with English fans shouting, "The beard that is feared".

Moeen and his agent were initially very keen that I write a biography but the publishers felt that an autobiography would be more appropriate. We had a problem for Moeen was about to go to Australia with the England team for last winter's Ashes tour. Time was short and I had to work in a hurry and during the winter even spoke to Moeen on WhatsApp.

From the beginning I was very keen that this should not just be a book about cricket, but his background, his upbringing and what it says about Asians in Britain. Moeen is a role model and also a Muslim, and given how Islam is often seen in this country, it was important to explain the wider background. Moeen shared my views and I spent hours with his father Munir and family. This meant many journeys from my home in London to Birmingham, savouring the food Moeen's mother served up - delicious as it was it meant that I put on weight - and listening to the many sacrifices Munir had made to make Moeen a cricketer. This included giving up his nursing job and selling chickens. Moeen also told me in very vivid terms of the influence of his English grandmother Betty Cox. And an amazing story of how, at a team bonding session, his fellow players could not believe he had a white English grandmother. His background makes him the true British cosmopolitan.

Religion means a lot to Moeen
Moeen's religion means a lot to him and it was very interesting to hear how, during a cricket match in Birmingham he had met a West Indian who had converted to Islam. The West Indian helped him rediscover his faith. The title of the chapter "The day it all made sense", sums up how it affected Moeen's life.

What struck me was Moeen's gentleness. During the first Ashes Test in 2015 an Australian player said to him "Take that Osama". In the first draft of the book we mentioned his name, but then Moeen took it out because the player was going through problems and he did not want to distress him. I cannot imagine too many cricketers being so generous.

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